the tallest man on earth - shallow grave (2008)

The Tallest Man on Earth is the moniker of Kristian Matsson, a folk artist from Sweden. His second release "Shallow Grave" has recently garnered some attention in the states and so here it is for your enjoyment. 

The singer-songwriter genre is often a stale one, but every once and a while a gem emerges. I need to give this record a few more listens but so far I like it, and I'm sure a lot of people will like it much more than I do. The album has very minimalist instrumentation, usually just acoustic guitar and banjo, but Matsson's interesting vocal melodies make up for it.

for fans of: the mountain goats, bob dylan, dirty projectors

the tallest man on earth - shallow grave

owen - at home with owen (2006)

Owen is the musical project of Mike Kinsella, you know, brother of Tim Kinsella. 

He has been in bands like Cap'n Jazz, Joan of Arc, Owls, American Football, blah blah blah, you get it. You know that Kinsella brothers. You probably know Owen, or you should. 

Owen is a singer songwriter project, but trust me, it's so much different than that! Owen's music really relies on really lush, interesting instrumentation and honest lyrics. A lot of Owen songs have these really interesting acoustic guitar hooks that just get me so excited! Mike Kinsella's voice is soft and fluid (unlike his brother, el oh el!) in fact though, his voice is almost too perfect. Generally I don't like vocalists as much that sing too well, I prefer imperfections as they seem more honest. But Owen's music is already so honest anyway, I can look past that, and I mean, Kinsella is a VERY good vocalist. 

Just listen to the lyrics of "The Sad Waltzes of Pietro Crespi" or "Bags of Bones" and you will know what I mean. Even the tiny guitar solo on "A Bird in Hand" has SO much feeling to it. You can feel Mike Kinsella in every saturated note.

sounds like: owls, kevin devine, copeland

Owen - At Home With Owen

best albums of 2008: #10-#6

Alright so I too will be posting what I think are the ten best releases of 2008. This is difficult because I haven't been listening to too much new music this year, in fact, I've been listening to a lot of older stuff. Well anyway, I did listen to a few new records. So here we go:

#10. why? - alopecia

for fans of: cLOUDEAD, sunset rubdown, xiu xiu

With this years "Alopecia" Why? won the hearts of many. The band has certainly found a formula that works, the blend of mellow indie rock and hip-hop topped with Yoni Wolf's self confessional lyrics. The album has a great vibe and lots of catchy moments, one of these for me is the chorus of the albums second track "Good Friday."

#9. the cool kids - the bake sale

for fans of: little brother, lupe fiasco, a tribe called quest

Alright so maybe The Cool Kids are "hipster" rap, but with two releases this year, "The Bake Sale" and "That's Stupid The Mixtape," The Cool Kids bring hip hop back to its roots. Most of the duos songs are composed of simplistic beats and almost silly rhymes, but it's totally 90s. For anyone tired of gangster rap about girls and money The Cool Kids  got what you're looking for. I would rather hear rap about bikes and video games any day. 

#8. crystal castles - crystal castles

for fans of: digitalism, justice, css

Finally some innovation to the genre of electronic and dance music. I love how Crystal Castles make music thats really noisey but still catchy and danceable. I also have a crush on singer Alice Glass. There's other shit to dance to besides Girl Talk.

#7. genghis tron - board up the house

for fans of: daughters, the number twelve looks like you, psyOpus

With their third release Genghis Tron have earned a lot of fans and a lot of remixes. I haven't listened to any of the recent remixes of "Board Up The House," I'm not really a remix guy, but thats pretty cool that people are remixing grindcore. Alright, well, I guess Genghis Tron aren't really a grindband, but they are the really the first ones to successfully blend it with electronica. Genghis Tron are not just another grind band with a drum machine.

#6. the faceless - planetary duality

for fans of: between the buried and me, necrophagist, as blood runs black

I was a big fan of the first release from The Faceless, but this album might be even better. The band has certainly stepped up their technique for this release, if you want an album that shreds without being pretentious then this is it. The Faceless have also begun to incorporate a lot of different elements into their music with this release; clean vocals, jazzy interludes, and more melody in general. This is one of the best examples of growth I have seen from a band in recent year, I can't wait to see what these guys put out next. 

Check back for number one through five appearing soon! I might do movies as well, maybeee.

tegan and sara - the con (2007)

for fans of: death cab for cutie, rilo kiley, azure ray

tegan and sara - the con

arson arson - songs to be ashamed of

a collection of songs i recorded between the ages of 15 and 17. 

for fans of: terrible production, failure, bad songs

arson arson - songs to be ashamed of

cursive - burst and bloom (2001)

for fans of: murder by death, the good life, desaparecidos

cursive - burst and bloom